Story of the Unknown SOLDIER
by Biru-san
Summary: Basically a story about my made up character Bill. I'm not so good at summaries so just read the dang story and tell me what you think. Violence.


Biru-san

Story of the Unknown SOLDIER

Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy 7. It is property of square. I do own the character Bill. Please R&R.

The streets of Kalm Town were desolate. The city itself was in ruins and the only people left in this shadow of a town were those with the hopes of rebuilding and their numbers were few. This whole mess started three years ago with Sephiroth and his plan to destroy humanity. That maniac nearly destroyed the Earth with that meteor of his and Kalm was one of the many towns nearly obliterated by the shockwave caused by its impact. The destruction bestowed poverty on everyone and left even the wealthiest families as mendicants. When no one seemed to care about or have the ability to help those left penniless by the meteor, the WRO was formed. This World Recovery Organization provided succor to those people and helped to rebuild shattered communities everywhere. This time, however, the WRO's purpose in Kalm was two-fold. They had gotten wind of a mercenary group known as Deep Ground and had sent an agent to investigate their lead in Kalm. People had been seeing the agent all day in town and not knowing it: he wore a tattered, red, cloak and had long, black, hair. Outwardly he was no one special; however, Reeve, the leader and founder of the WRO had specifically picked this agent because of his prior experience. The man had been one of a group of individuals who had prevented Earth's total destruction three years prior and had helped to quell a deadly epidemic surrounding Sephiroth's re-appearance one year ago. This man wandered the streets of Kalm looking to be without a purpose however inwardly he was tense: all day he'd been looking and realizing the rumors were true. Deep Ground was stationed in Kalm. The agent had been following one of the mercenary group's elites for the better part of the day; watching, waiting for when he could make the kill. The Merc finally came to a halt in the empty wreckage of a plaza and the agent pressed himself against the remains of a broken wall effectively concealing himself.

Without turning the Merc spoke. "You can stop sneaking around little bug. Come out and die!"

The agent slid out from the shadows he'd concealed himself in and stood in the silvery moonlight. He looked his opponent over. The hulking mercenary was a behemoth of a man and had picked up a large chunk of rubble that no ordinary man would ever be able to lift.

"I am Azul, elite member of Deep Ground. You will die now!" He threw the rubble at the WRO agent who gracefully rolled out of the way of the projectile. He now stood with his shotgun leveled on his opponent; its three barrels reflected the moonlight polychromaticaly . The agent then spoke. "My name is Vincent Valentine. Your time on this earth ends here and now!"

Vincent fired several times on the hulking Azul but to his surprise he was unaffected.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, your little toy doesn't even hurt me!"

The enormous mercenary was ready to charge when a voice called out: "Azul! Stand down!"

Azul looked into the darkness and reluctantly backed away from Vincent who tensed at the thought of two mercenaries. Things wouldn't be easy.

"Well, well, well, Vincent Valentine, what a pleasure it is to meet the man who befriended one of my mentors and helped slay the other!" The mystery voice spoke with a tone of controlled anger.

"Show yourself!" Vincent shouted to the darkness, "and explain yourself!"

As he was asked to, the figure stepped out of the darkness. He was a young man of 18. He wore plain clothes and had messy brown hair. Strapped to his back was an enormous broadsword and in his hand was a katana, longer than he was tall. No two weapons were more diverse . This young man's eyes seemed to glow a bluish-green. Vincent knew what this meant.

"A... SOLDIER! Yes, I can tell from your eyes, but how did you procure Cloud Strife's Buster Sword and Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune?" asked Vincent. ( moss-uh-moon-ay )

"They were gifts, given at two separate times, this katana was given to me by Sephiroth when I was very young and had just joined the SOLDIER program. Shortly thereafter he was sent on a mission with Cloud and went A.W.O.L. The Buster Sword was given to me about a year ago. Cloud told me to hang onto it, said he had to go visit a mutual friend," replied the SOLDIER " The men who passed these fine blades on to me have left an indelible impression on the world and on me. Though they came from different enclaves the two taught me to live by the motto, 'kill or be killed'. Yes, as you guessed I was a pawn of the Shinra Corporation but I left because they couldn't grasp the concepts of truth and fair play. Besides I'd heard that Sephiroth was plotting to destroy the world and thought I owed it to my friend to find out what caused this radical change in him."

As the young man paused Vincent couldn't help but be suspicious of this strange young man's sudden openness. It was unnerving. What was he planning? Vincent knew only one thing: this young man's heart could not be black.

"Alas," continued the SOLDIER, "Sephiroth was killed by Cloud with help from you and the resistance group AVALANCHE shortly after that I began to unravel the mystery. Well, there was nothing left for me to do. I couldn't go back to the Shinra Corp. and I was still quite young, about 15, so I felt I was too young to join AVALANCHE. As you probably already know, Cloud no longer walks the path of the warrior. I on the other hand am bound and hell-bent on it. I found myself more often than not becoming a mercenary, a sword for hire, doing the dirty work for the highest bidder. It just doesn't feel right, rather empty. As of late," he switched his gaze to Azul " it seems that Deep Ground is no better than the Shinra Corporation. Azul, you can tell your good for nothing leader that our business deal is as of now null and void and tell him to take his blood money back." He threw a rather large bag of gil at Azul's face. "I am no longer anyone's lackey!"

Azul seemed outraged, He picked up a fairly large chunk of rubble and hurled it at the young man. "No one deserts Deep Ground and lives!"

The SOLDIER held out his hand and quickly spoke something that was inaudible and then shielded himself with the Buster Sword because the ensuing lightning bolt caused the rubble to shatter into infinitesimal pieces which pinged off the sword to such a degree that the sword began to reverberate . Azul charged and swung his tremendous right fist, the SOLDIER was caught in the blow and was sent flying backwards. He collided with a weakened wall which collapsed on impact, burying him in a tomb of slag. Rubble began to rattle and was pushed aside as he clawed his way free. As he rose, cuts on his arms and face seemed to shrink then fade away all together. He dusted himself off and sauntered back to the battlefield rather casually, seemingly unscathed. He stopped and closed his eyes, all was tranquil for a moment then he opened his eyes and laughed a wicked laugh. His tense look of determination had become disturbingly maniacal.

"Bare witness as I ascend to a new level of power!"

Azul could not dispel the uneasy feeling that now welled up inside him. He tried desperately to recollect what the boy had said about his abilities, something about limits... But what was it? Azul was compelled to run but resisted, he couldn't lose face in front of a kid.

"Are you afraid Azul?" asked the SOLDIER with a very menacing tone. "You should be. After all nothing remains to restrain my power. I do hope you have no allusions of victory, for if you were to try to fight me now there would be no remnant of you large enough to identify."

"Im... impossible! I will not be defeated by the likes of you! Never! Not by you or anyone else! You are inferior, a lab experiment gone wrong and you know it!" shouted Azul.

Vincent aimed his tri-barreled shotgun at Azul, but was stopped by the SOLDIER's outstretched hand.

"No, I'll defeat him," said the SOLDIER. "He has pushed me to my limit and now I will release all of my pent up rage in one, fierce, attack, stand back!

Vincent leapt backwards as he was asked and watched speechlessly as the SOLDIER's two swords levitated out of the rubble and into his hands. It was incredible that he could carry each sword in one hand. His strength must be formidable. Suddenly the SOLDIER leapt at Azul with blinding speed slashing this way and that. Azul was backing away, protecting his face with his massive arms. Huge gouge marks were appearing in the ground around the battle and slash marks were rapidly covering Azul's arms. The swords moved with such speed that they could not be seen. Vincent was now sure that neither combatant was all that they appeared, for this young man to use such an attack and for Azul to successfully defend himself from it proved that they were far from ordinary. The sound of a helicopter could be heard from above and a rope ladder dropped from it and unfurled next to Azul who clambered up the now retracting rope ladder. Vincent watched helplessly as the helicopter sped away.

"Damn! He got away. Hey what was... what's wrong?" Vincent looked over at the SOLDIER who was on his knees clutching a wound at his side as blood pooled around him. He managed to rise to his feet and stagger to a wall he could lean against.

"I'll be fine, you've seen how fast I heal," he said with a grimace of pain.

Vincent looked somewhat relieved. "That reminds me. What did Azul mean when he called you a failed experiment?"

"It's a long story that you wouldn't want to hear." replied the SOLDIER trying to change the subject.

"We have time," Vincent said with a sly grin.

"Well….. It all started when I was very young, about three or five. The Shinra Corporation relieved random families of their oldest child. There were 30 of us in all, all to be entered into the SOLDIER program at such a tender age. We received a Mako bath the very day after we were stolen from our families and the day after that they began the experiments. I don't know exactly what they did but I do know the results, you see they had us drugged and we were in a coma like state for at least a year while they ran their tests. Of the 30 children they started with only one survived… me. After that they simply had me train, study, eat, sleep, and live with the older SOLDIERs,"

"Sephiroth and Cloud?" asked Vincent

"And Zack to name a few,"

"Hmmm interesting but that still does not answer my question."

"Oh I see my tragic prologue isn't good enough for you?" said the SOLDIER with a tone of sarcasm "don't worry I was only kidding. Let's see where was I…. oh yes I remember, there is no way on earth that I could recount the number of times I was yelled at in those days. The commander with his knitted brows would scream at me for being weak and soft and even though I'd been trained otherwise I would begin to cry. That's when someone kind like Zack or Sephiroth would step in and say something like, 'take it easy on him, he's just a kid. You can't ask the same things of him as you do us and expect the same results.' That would usually shut the commander up but I learned very soon why I was being pushed so hard, I had… abilities. Since I was exposed to Mako energy at such an early developmental stage I grew stronger and more agile faster than my adult counterparts and besides that I had the power to regenerate. I was a unification of nature's design and science's intervention. It made me less susceptible to disease and any wound I suffered would heal extremely fast. This regenerative power was useful but I discovered it was imperfect. If I suffered enough wounds or one big enough I would suffer a blowback. All of the regeneration that had occurred would come undone all at once, It would heal up pretty fast and the cycle would start again but after the Shinra found out about my little imperfection they started treating me differently. Those days consisted of torment and suffering. I was forced to do hard, back-breaking labor and my only reason for living was so that I could get through my day and crawl into my small bunk in the corner of the barracks and listen as Sephiroth would tell me of his exploits in the great war, he was a hero after all because of his many victories. I was fascinated by his tales and aspired to be just like him. I think he picked up on this because one day he got me excused from my daily tasks and asked me to accompany him to the barracks. He stopped at his bunk and started to contemplate something.

'Where are they sending you?' I asked

'To a place called Nibelheim, it's a mountain town that's pretty far away from here. Your friend Cloud is going too, he was born there you know,' Sephiroth replied

'Wow,' I said 'When will you be back? It could get awfully lonely here.'

'I… don't know… but I want you to have this.' He said as he held his sword out to me.

'R-r-really, you want me to keep this! W-what will you use then?' I asked

'Don't worry, I have another,' he said with a smile 'I want you to train hard while I'm away so that when I get back you'll be able to wield that sword. I might even be able to make a swordsman out of you yet. That is if you can ever lift a sword almost three times your length.'

Unfortunately, for me that's the last time I saw Sephiroth and that was the last mission Cloud took before quitting the SOLDIER program. That was the mission where Sephiroth found out the truth about his birth and took a turn for the worst. Technically that is the day the man I idolized so much died. Of course I was not informed of any of this and spent the next three or four years training and eventually mastered using Sephiroth's gift. I really wish I could have shown him."

As the SOLDIER finished his sad tale Vincent watched him shakily lift the long slightly curved blade. It glinted in the now dawning sunlight.

"So what now?" Asked Vincent

"We search…."

Chapter 2

Midgar

"I'm not sure about this, I'm sure there is a much safer mode of transportation than this." said Vincent as he looked the sleek, black, motorcycle over uneasily.

"Nonsense, it's perfectly safe. It's identical to Cloud's bike."

"That's what worries me!" exclaimed Vincent.

"You're such a baby. I can't believe you used to be a TURK!"

"How did you know that?" Vincent asked defensively.

"I read your file in the Shinra Library. They never get rid of anything and you can bet they still have my file and Cloud's file. Anyway, we need to track down Deep Ground. The only way we can do that is by moving and the only way we can do that at any productive rate of speed is if we use my bike. Now if you can think of any better way speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I guess if your death-trap is the only way I have no choice." Vincent said reluctantly.

The SOLDIER took a step toward the bike and a panel on the side of it popped out. He inserted his katana into one of the built-in sheaths inside. He kept the Buster Sword in the sheath on his back. He closed the compartment and climbed onto the bike.

"What's that for? Vincent said pointing at the sword.

"Never know what you might encounter out there. Now get on!"

Vincent cautiously took a seat at the back of the bike and steadied himself as the bike engine roared to life.

"Hang on tight!" the SOLDIER spoke with a tone of unrestrained excitement. He revved the engine and the bike roared out of Kalm at a break-neck speed. The smooth, sprawling , desert scenery spread out before them for countless miles disturbed occasionally by knobbed dunes. Vincent was not enjoying his ride very much and it seemed that each time the bike rounded a corner their knees almost scraped the sandy ground.

"Where exactly are we headed and at what velocity?" Vincent asked a little shakily.

" We're headin' for the city of Midgar at upwards of 110 miles per hour. I got a friend there that I think you might know. I'm thinking that maybe, if we're lucky, she'll have heard a rumor or two about Deep Ground."

"Why can't we just storm their headquarters? You did work for them after all."

"Well." Started the SOLDIER. "I have absolutely no idea where their headquarters is. I didn't take orders directly from their leader so I was never actually informed as to where their headquarters is."

"Hmmm…" said Vincent.

They went for a few more miles before Vincent once again broke the silence.

"So how is it you make a living?"

"I already told you, I was a mercenary." Said the SOLDIER

"That can be your whole means of financial gain. Don't you get a pension from the Shinra Corp.?" asked Vincent

"Last time I checked they didn't give pensions to perfect warriors who up and quit their little army. Up until today I've just been livin' meal to meal hopin' and prayin' for a surge of high paying jobs."

"You were alone weren't you?" asked Vincent

"Hey, haven't you ever heard the expression 'good riddance to bad rubbish'? My days as a merc are over and I rather not think about them anymore. Anyway, our destination just popped over the horizon." The SOLDIER pointed at the tiny, dark, dot on the horizon. Vincent only hoped they would arrive soon.

The sky began to darken slightly as day began to loose its footing on the world. The SOLDIER caught movement out of the corner of his left eye. He looked over and saw a herd of wild Chocobo. These large, yellow, ostrich-like birds were instantly recognizably and were well liked by people everywhere. Birds like these had been domesticated and used as pets, food, and beasts of burden. They were also used and bred most specifically for racing. These fleet footed birds were easily keeping up with the bike and quickly sped past it. A chocobo is not easily spooked and is definitely not scared of man made machinery. The SOLDIER had actually had herds of these lovable creatures race him on trips through the desert and even edge up to the bike for a friendly pet. No, these birds were being chased by something… something predatory.

"What is it?" Vincent asked sensing something amiss.

The SOLDIER caught another glimpse of movement. Something long was moving under the sand. It began to rise slowly until shining, black, scales broke the surface. Soon the whole creature was exposed. It was as big around as a city bus and as long as six of them.

"Midgar Zolom!" the SOLDIER exclaimed excitedly. "Vincent, drive, stay close though." Without another word the SOLDIER drew the Buster Sword, stood up on his seat, and leapt high into the air. Vincent took a forward position very rapidly and looked back to see his comrade land on the giant, ebony, cobra's back. He noticed that the SOLDIER had that same look in his eye that he had in the fight against Azul. It was a dangerous look that even made Vincent slightly afraid.

The SOLDIER fought hard to keep his balance while standing on the rapidly slithering serpent. It reared its great head and turned to stare at the pest that had landed on its back. It began the lunge. The SOLDIER was forced to sheathe his sword and make a great leap every time the creature made an attempt on his life. Vincent circled helplessly around the battle watching for a clean shot. He might hit his friend by accident if he were to fire his gun now. The giant viper struck one more time this time trapping the SOLDIER in its mouth. He fought hard to keep the snake's jaws from snapping shut. He would not be able to hold its mouth open much longer.

"Vincent, my sword! Throw me my sword!" shouted the SOLDIER who's countenance contorted with a grimace of pain and effort.

Vincent reached for the panel that held the sword but before he could touch it, it came open and the long katana sailed into the air. The SOLDIER saw it and swung out of the Zoloms jaws and caught the sword. In the same motion he sank the blade into the creatures head and held on for dear life as the snake began to swing its head wildly in an attempt to dislodge the sword from its head. Using a great amount of strength the SOLDIER grasped the katana with his left hand. His right went to the hilt of the Buster Sword which he slowly unsheathed.

"I'm sorry this must be done great beast, but I must keep my friend and myself alive. I have sinned too many times and must seek redemption. I'll not die today." The SOLDIER raised the Buster Sword. "Guillotine!" the SOLDIER shouted and lopped the giant serpents head off with one, downward, swing.

Vincent pulled the bike up next to the SOLDIER and resumed his old seat. The SOLDIER wiped the blood from both swords, stowed them in the side-panel compartment, and sat down on the bike once again. He let out a long sigh. "Another death by my hand that I'll have to cope with."

The remaining hour of the bike ride was spent in relative silence. They finally came to a stop in front of a small bar just outside Midgars town square. Vincent knew where they were, he knew who owned the building. The SOLDIER dismounted the bike and walked to the door and made as if to knock on it but stopped.

It was at that moment that the door to the bar opened up unexpectedly.

"Bill, you're alive!"

A young woman shot out of the door and wrapped her arms tightly around the SOLDIER. She had long, brown, hair and warm, brown, eyes. She wore a simple black tank-top and black pants. She was very attractive but lithe muscle could be seen under her skin, she was a fighter.

"Uhhh, it's nice to see you again too Tifa. You weren't planning on killing me were you?" asked the SOLDIER uneasily.

"Huh? Why would I do that?" Asked Tifa with a quizzical smile.

"You don't remember? I thought you'd never forget the time I ran off to go find Sephiroth after you clearly told me that I was far too young and inexperienced to find him much less persuade him back to sanity and that the man that I once knew as Sephiroth no longer existed. Oh well, saves me a lot of pain… oh crap!"

The soft, warm, look in Tifa's eyes suddenly turned to a hard look full of rage and malice. She held up a clenched fist.

"How could you! How could you just leave like that? Do you realize that you could have been killed had you found him? Do you think that people like when their friends disappear in the middle of the night to hunt down madmen? Then after that you don't even bother speaking to any of us until Sephiroth re-emerged! That was what, a year ago? We thought you were dead!" Tifa swung at the SOLDIER but he ducked and took a large step backwards.

"Tifa you have to understand, he's like a brother to me. I had to save him from himself" he dodged three more punches.

"Oh, so that makes it okay to run out on your friends and leave them in the dark! You never cared about our feelings did you!"

"Of course I cared, that's why I left that night. I felt I needed to to make a difference and save the world but… ARGH!" The SOLDIER was sent flying by a roundhouse kick from Tifa. He was stopped by the outer wall of the building next to the door.

"Are you alright Bill?"

This new voice was male. The SOLDIER opened his eyes and saw the source of the voice. He wore a dark blue vest and wore one armored shoulder-pad. His eyes had the same bluish-green glow as Bill's. Atop his head was an utterly tousled mass of spiky, blond, hair.

"I'm alright Cloud." Bill said as Cloud extended a hand and helped him to his feet.

"This entire time it's been bugging me, I thought you seemed familiar. Bill, I remember meeting you three years ago." Said Vincent.

"You finally recognize me, eh, Vincent. Took you long enough." Said Bill as he dusted himself off.

"Well maybe I would have recognized you earlier had you mentioned your name to me." Vincent said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry, sometimes I kinda forget my manners." Said Bill

"So why did you come here?" Cloud asked Vincent.

"I was tracking a mercenary group called Deep Ground when I was reunited with Bill. Apparently after Sephiroth was destroyed the second time Bill had nothing to do and got mixed up in Deep Ground. After he encountered me he left the mercenary group and nearly destroyed one of their elites." Said Vincent.

"Oh… Bill you could have stayed here and lived with Cloud and me instead of getting yourself mixed up with a bunch of mercenaries." Said Tifa whose attitude of rage and disgust had transformed to one of genuine concern.

"No, I couldn't… I couldn't permit myself to stay with you. Anyway I don't think there would be room for me. Not with you and Cloud and those two orphans living here, I'd just overcrowd things. Now back to business, I had the idea that Vincent and I should come here to see if you've heard anything about Deep Ground. And if even you hadn't we could get the old gang back together and take Deep Ground by storm when we found em'" Bill finished with a tone of excitement.

"No!" said Cloud "We have no vendetta against them; you and Vincent can go ahead but leave the rest of us out of it. You and I both know that you can't protect everyone! There's no sense in risking the lives of all of our friends. I lost a friend because I was unable to protect her. What makes you think that…" Cloud's thoughts seemed to prevent him from continuing " I'm sorry Bill, I didn't mean to… it's just that… you remember what happened to Aeris right?"

"Yeah, I… I do. I only ever saw her once but she was so friendly. What happened to her is partly my fault. I couldn't get to Sephiroth fast enough. You are right; we can't defend everyone all the time but…"

Bill was suddenly cut short by the ringing of a cell phone. Cloud rummaged through a pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "This is Cloud." He said

"Ah it's good to hear that you are still alive Mr. Strife. I have a favor to ask you but first would you happen to know anything about Hojo's perfect little SOLDIER," said the voice from the phone.

"Yeah he's here with me. I'll hand him the phone." Said Cloud

"Don't bother, would-be ex-SOLDIER, I have his number."

Almost instantly another cell phone started ringing. In one smooth motion Bill pulled the black and silver cell phone from his pocket, opened it, and pressed it to his ear. "Yo." He said.

"Bill, do you know who this is?" spoke the mysterious phone-voice.

"Yeah, I used to work for your sonofabitch father. What do you want from me, Rufus Shinra?" replied Bill

"I want you and Cloud to come down to the old Shinra Corporation headquarters. I have a little surprise for you two. I really do hope you'll come." Said Rufus.

"Why should we trust you?" Asked Cloud.

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Added Bill.

"Well if you don't trust me you can bring along a few friends. It doesn't matter. Just get here as soon as you can." He hung up and Bill and Cloud followed suit. Bill hastily turned to Tifa.

"Do you still have all my old gear?" he asked

"Of course it's in a box under my bed. It's upstairs…"

"I'll find it." Bill dashed into the building, ran past the bar and up a set of stairs.

"I'll go get my bike." said Cloud. He soon disappeared behind the building.

"Tifa."

"Yes, Vincent."

"Bill worries me. Whenever he tells his story he says that he knew Cloud and Sephiroth while he was in SOLDIER but Cloud was never really a SOLDIER. Sephiroth was. That means there is no way he could know both of them at one time. I keep getting the feeling that he leaves bits of his past out."

"Don't worry, he does that to everyone," Tifa started "It took me a little while to piece it together but Cloud told me once that a five year-old had outranked him once. It wasn't until after I met Bill that he told me the whole story. When Bill was stolen from his parents and experimented on they made him an MP just like Cloud was. Why this next part happened is beyond any of us but Bill was promoted to the same rank as Sephiroth and Zack within his first week. Cloud didn't like it at all that he was working so hard and wasn't getting anywhere and then they go and promote a little kid to the highest rank in SOLDIER for no reason. Cloud hated that little kid for a long time. Then one day he got in a fight with some low class SOLDIERs. Cloud said that things weren't looking good for him but then out of nowhere something takes a punch for him, it was Bill. He may have been a little kid but he was a higher class than the ruffians that were picking on Cloud. They thought the kid might report them if they stayed any longer. You aren't really supposed to hit someone who outranks you. Later Cloud asked Bill why he did it and he simply replied that if you do something nice for someone then there is a chance they might be your friend. From that day forward Cloud had a loose friendship with Bill." Said Tifa

"A friendship that continues to this day, now I understand." Said Vincent

"All his life Bill has been looking for someone who cares about him, a family so to speak. We're right there in front of him the whole time but he doesn't see that possibility. He lost everything and yet he's not bitter towards the world he just searches for something to fill the void."

Tifa was brought out of her contemplative state by the sound of a motorcycle. Cloud had pulled up not far away. Bill stepped out of the house shortly after. He was now wearing a heavy green jacket instead of his tattered, battle-worn t-shirt. He also wore a pair of black pants made of a durable, fibrous material that had many pockets. They were perfect for extended periods of combat.

"Been awhile since I wore my old SOLDIER duds. This jacket always was way too big for me. Fits perfectly now."

"Bill, Cloud!" Tifa called out."Vincent and I are coming with you."

"What about Marlene and Denzel?" asked Cloud.

"They'll be fine. They're asleep and it's Saturday, I really doubt that they will be awake any time soon." Replied Tifa

"Fine" Said Cloud. Tifa climbed onto Cloud's bike and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Well." Bill said as he climbed onto his bike. "Looks like you're with me Vincent." Vincent looked skyward in dismay and then clambered onto Bill's bike. Both bikes took off in the direction of the Shinra Corporation building. Bill kept up with Cloud a good part of the way but quickly grew impatient. He braced himself then jumped into the air with his bike. He threw his weight to one side so that the bike rolled in mid-air. Bill gave Cloud and Tifa a smile and a thumbs-up when he was directly above them. When he landed on the opposite side of the road he had started on he shot off into the distance. Cloud shook his head and smiled. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed Bill's number.

"Always a show off huh?" He asked Bill

"Yep." Replied Bill

"How's Vincent doing? Asked Cloud.

Bill looked back at a very shaken Vincent "Uhhh he'll be fine. He's just in shock. Hey I'll meet you guys there, kay?"

"Fine with me." Said Cloud

Chapter 3

Blast from the…Future?

Tifa and Cloud pulled in to find Bill leaning against his bike rather casually. Vincent was still sitting on the bike very stiffly. A man wearing a white robe in a wheelchair wheeled himself into view.

"Now that you are all here I want to show you something. Follow me."

"Wait a minute Rufus, what exactly are you gonna show us?" asked Bill.

"You will know very soon." Said Rufus. Bill looked over to Cloud who simply shrugged. The three of them started to follow Rufus when Bill noticed something amiss. He looked back.

"C'mon Vincent, we might need you!"

Vincent came out of his trance at Bill's voice and hurried to join the rest of the group. He wasn't sure how much more of Bill's ludicrous driving he could stand. The small group was lead through maze-like labs and elevator after elevator until they reached a pair of white, swinging doors. Rufus stopped in front of them and without turning said "I am sure you are all curious to what lies between these doors. I will delay no longer. What has been constructed behind here is a temporal transporter."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's stop for just a second, you built a time machine!" said Bill

"Why yes, just for you and Cloud. Each of you has had an injustice committed against you. Bill, you and Cloud lost everything you've ever loved. With this machine you can undo that.

"You mean that I could prevent Aeris' death?" Cloud curiously asked.

"Cloud, don't let this tempt you, if we were to go back and drastically change things it could destroy the world we know. I know that bad things have happened to us but if they hadn't then we wouldn't have met. You wouldn't have met a lot of the people you now call your friends." Bill's words carried a tone of urgency.

"You… are right but still I wish…no, we won't use it!" said Cloud

"Then you are both in agreement?" Asked Rufus. Both Cloud and Bill nodded. "Then you should destroy it. I was testing you. My father built that infernal contraption for his own greedy needs. I have no use for it. I trust you both came prepared for…"

Rufus was cut off rather suddenly by the sound of an explosion. It sounded as if it came from the room with the time machine. Sirens started blaring out a warning.

"Quickly, we must leave here!" spoke Rufus.

It did not take long for the group to get away from that area. The explosion must have shaken the foundations because the building was starting to come down around them. The group was only about four rooms away from the exit when a large portion of the ceiling came down. On the side with the exit were Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and Rufus. Bill was trapped on the other side.

"Bill, are you okay?" Tifa shouted through the rubble.

"Yeah I'm fine. Keep going, I'll find another exit. If not I'll make one. I have the Buster Sword with me so don't worry. The building has stabilized so I don't think I have to worry about another collapse."

"Okay, Bill. Take care." Tifa couldn't help but worry a little.

Bill spent a lot of time checking every side passage and doorway for a way out of the building but so far he'd found only dead ends. He found himself in very long, very high-ceilinged passage. His footfalls echoed into oblivion as he walked through the passage mystified by its sheer size. He was brought out of his stupor by a sudden feeling that he was not alone. He drew the Buster Sword and went into high alert. He turned around to check that direction and felt something sharp across his cheek. He reached up and felt the twin slashes on his face before they healed up. Twice more he was struck like that. He heard a strange whirring sound behind him. He whirled around and grabbed something out of the air right in front of his face. It was a metallic disk with the outer edge filed down to a sharp blade. He threw it away quickly.

"A razor wind, eh?" said Bill "Clever. I'm not dealing with just any enemy here." He closed his eyes for a time. He heard very soft, faint footfalls. He quickly placed the Buster Sword directly in front of him. The sound of clashing steel filled the whole chamber. For a brief second Bill made eye contact with his assailant before he disappeared again.

"You are human after all. Why don't you come out and fight like a man? Or are you just chicken?" Bills eyes glowed a little more intensely now. He stared at his clenched, left fist. "Sephiroth, give me the strength to defeat a foe I cannot see." He closed his eyes again and focused. Periodically he would slash or parry and hear the gratifying sound of steel on steel. At long last he heard two sets of faint footsteps. He sheathed the Buster Sword and focused all his strength. At exactly the right moment he threw both his fists forward and felt the punches connect with his opponents' midriffs. He opened his eyes and for the first time saw the identities of his attackers: one a boy and the other a girl, both in their early twenties. The girl wore a black bodysuit and was holding the razor wind. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She appeared unconscious. The boy was sprawled on the floor holding his head; he must have landed on it. Bill walked over to the young man and hoisted him up by his crimson shirt. He spoke very calmly.

"Why is it that you attacked me?" The kid said nothing. "I'll ask you again, why did you attack me?" Again Bill received the same results. This kid was trying his patience. He was about to ask a third time when he felt sharp steel on the back of his neck.

"Damn Ninja!" Bill said angrily.

A female voice spoke.

"First rule of combat: when fighting multiple opponents never concentrate on one." Bill turned his head to see the girl and as he did the razor wind's blade cut him a little. The girls eyes widened in awe as she watched the cut heal almost instantly. She dropped into a bow.

"I'm sorry great one. I didn't mean to. It wasn't my idea. Please don't be mad." she said. Bill's brows furrowed at this. He dropped the young man and turned to face this strange girl.

"What the heck are you talking about? Who are you? Why did you attack me? What did you mean by 'great one'?"

"Oh hi, I'm Jessie. That dumbass behind you is Remoros. It was his idea to attack you. He thought you might prove to be a threat and figured we should attack first. And you're the great one because you are, except that you aren't old… that explosion and then that energy rift… Remoros I think were in the past!"

"Yeah right Jessie, like we could ever get transported into the past." Said Remoros very sternly.

"Think about it. We couldn't figure out what that machine was. For all we know that machine could have been a temporal transporter and that rift sucked us into the past."

"Well why don't you ask this guy where or when we are." Said Remoros

Bills head was spinning from all of this. That's when Jessie spoke up.

"Sir, when was the last time anyone encountered Sephiroth?"

"Uhhhh, let's see. Cloud fought him one year ago and two years before that. But a year ago it wasn't really Sephiroth. The Jenova cells within Kadaj just caused him to exist temporarily before Cloud defeated him. Speaking of Kadaj…" Bill stepped next to Remoros and snatched the sword from the sheath at his waist. It was as if two katana blades had been set into one hilt.

"Hey give that back!" whined Remoros. Bill did as he was asked.

"So it would appear that you now carry Kadaj's sword. Use it well. That sword has cut me before today, you know."

"It's not Kadaj's sword, it's just a replica." Said Remoros

"Oh, I see…" Said Bill

"See I was right, Remoros, we are in the past. Great one, do you know anyway to get us home?"

"First let's get somthin straight, my name is Bill got it? I don't know why you would call me 'great one'. I haven't done anything special. Secondly, I may know someway for you to get home. There is a time machine in this building that Cloud and I were supposed to destroy. Before we could even see it there was some kind of explosion. We all tried to escape but I got trapped inside. I was trying to find a way out when I was attacked by you two."

"So you will help us!" Jessie said with an exited look in her eyes. Bill nodded. Jessie then latched onto Bill's arm.

What should have seemed like a quick stroll was made into an arduous journey by Jessie's constant streams of "This one time I did a report on you and read that…" and "Is it true that you…" Bill was glad when he came to those white doors. He threw them open and was astonished by another huge chamber. This time it wasn't empty. There was a massive machine sitting in the back of the room. It's top as so high up it could not be seen. There was one chamber at its base no bigger than a closet. Bill assumed that that was where you should stand to get transported.

Bill examined the console next to the transportation chamber. But to his dismay there was no way to do anything, it had only one, unlabeled, button.

"Well Bill, what're you waitin for?" Asked Remoros impatiently.

"Umm there is only one button and I'm debating on pushing it or not." Before Bill could do anything a voice from the console said "Defense system activated."

Bill looked around in a state of panic. High above, near the top of the machine something began to glow an ominous red. Gun turrets popped out of the walls and floor and all of them turned to point at Bill. Some kind of energy cannon actually rose out of the time machine on a mechanical arm. A green ball of energy appeared at the end of the barrel and steadily grew larger. Bill turned back to Remoros and Jessie.

"Get out of this room now!"

Heeding his words the two dashed out of the room and through the white doors. They heard the sound of guns firing and tried to get back into the room but the white doors had locked. Jessie spied a control panel on one of the doors and pressed a button on it. To her horror the entire wall began to descend into the floor and was replaced with one made of bullet-proof glass. Now they were forced to watch Bill who was now huddled in a corner using the Buster Sword as a shield.

"Look at your hero now Jessie, cowering in a corner. You think he'd at least try to get out of this situation."

"Look again Remoros, he's deflecting the bullets back at the turrets with his sword." Said Jessie matter-of-factly. Remoros looked out at Bill again and noticed that he would change the direction of the Buster Sword slightly once in a while. He also noticed that occasionally one of the turrets would explode. He was dumbfounded.

"You really need to stop being jealous of him Remoros," said Jessie.

"I'm not jealous, what would make you think that?" Stammered Remoros

"You've been acting weird this entire time. Listen I've only known him a short time. I've known you for as long as I can remember. It's not like I'm attracted to him. When we get back he'll be a lot older, gross!" Jessie said with a smile, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

"Jess, what makes you think we'll get back?" Remoros asked darkly.

"Cuz we're with him, Sephiroth's apprentice. If he can't get us home no one can. You remember the book we read before joining ASSASSIN? Remember the section on him? It's not long after now that he achieves great things. We have to believe in him, we have no other choice."

"This is really the same guy? The book made him seem like some noble gentlemen but he's really just a regular guy."

"Look Rem! He just destroyed all the turrets!"

Jessie was right Bill had destroyed all the visible turrets but there were still some on the walls and ceiling that were two high up to see and so Bill was forced to dodge volley after volley of gunfire. Bill was very fatigued when his situation turned from bad to worse. The turrets ceased fire and the energy cannon's energy ball turned red. It fired this massive red ball of death at an extremely high rate of speed. Bill couldn't dodge so he just stabbed the Buster Sword into the tile floor in front of him and held it in place with all his might as it was hit with the energy ball. The force was so great that on impact with the sword the energy was forced in two directions. The sword had "cut" the sphere of energy in half but energy kept coming. The cannon was now firing a steady stream of red energy. Bill was actually being forced backwards. A great PLOW resounded as the cannon fired off one last blast of energy. This time the force sent Bill flying. He hit the glass wall behind him and slumped to the ground. Bills prospects were grim as the cannon began to charge another energy ball. Jessie was afraid and Remoros was worried too. Even if Bill was conscious he'd be obliterated by another onslaught of that magnitude. Suddenly Tifa came to stand next to the two young warriors of ASSASSIN.

"C'mon Bill, wake up. You'll be destroyed if you don't!" her eyes were actually full of tears. Vincent, Rufus, and Cloud soon came down the passage and viewed the scene with equal dismay.

"Cloud, that red glow at the top, that's the reactor core. Destroy that and the machine should shut down. It doesn't look like Bill has the strength to do it alone." Said Rufus

"I'm on it, everyone stand back." Cloud said as he drew his sword. It was similar in size and shape to the Buster Sword, however this sword was five swords combined into one. Cloud could take one or all the swords out if he needed to. For now he kept them all combined. He stood a few feet back away from the glass wall. A blue wave shot down his sword and then Cloud leapt at the wall and slashed with all his might. The wall shattered and Cloud ran to check to make sure Bill was still alive.

"Ahhhh… Cloud is that you?" Bill asked groggily.

"It is bro. C'mon get up; we've got a job to do." Cloud helped Bill to his feet. Bill shouldered the Buster Sword.

"What's the target?" Bill asked.

"Reactor core." Cloud pointed at the red glow high above

"Way up there? We better get started then." Said Bill

With that the two warriors ran towards the machine they then began to leap from the wall to the side of the machine and back again, defying gravity as they made they're ascent. By now the gun turrets had reactivated and were firing at the two, making their climb that much more difficult. They were finally within sight of the reactor when Bill hatched a plan.

"Cloud, Omnislash on three!"

"One!" said Cloud

"Two!" said Bill

"Three!" the two spoke in perfect unison.

Cloud separated his one sword into five; each one took on a golden glow. With great speed Cloud slashed the reactor with each one. At the same time Bill attacked the reactor from many angles with blinding speed.

Far below the battle it looked like Cloud and Bill had become gold and blue comets respectively and were furiously orbiting the glowing red reactor. Suddenly they stopped and descended rapidly. When they landed their spirit auras were still visible. Clouds swords were one once more. Cloud and Bill shouldered their swords and stood back to back as the reactor blew sky high. Tifa ran forward and caught Bill then Cloud in an embrace.

"You guys were awesome." As she spoke she could have sworn here eyes were fooling her. In the corner of the room was a man wearing all black and he had long silver hair. He was looking in Bill's direction and gave an approving nod before seemingly fading from existence. Would Bill have seen the man too had his back not been turned? Tifa realized her eyes must have been playing tricks on her. The man she thought she had seen had been dead for quite some time. Unless… maybe Bill's hero was watching over him and making sure that he was safe. At any rate Tifa was glad that both of her friends were unharmed. There was another booming explosion. This time it wasn't the reactor. A giant field of green energy had appeared where the time machine was and was shrinking rapidly. Through the energy Bill could see the same room they were in except in serious disrepair. Two figures stood there mystified.

"Jessie Remoros, I think you'd better go home now. Your friends are waiting." Said Bill

"Thanks for all you're help, Bill, I owe you." Said Remoros as he stepped up to the portal.

"Indeed." continued Jessie "It's been nice meeting you Bill. Oh and likewise to you miss Lockhart, and to you Mr. Strife, and you too Mr. Valentine."

Together the two friends stepped through the energy portal and once on the other side turned and waved good-bye until the portal closed. Silence fell on the chamber. Bill was the first one to comment.

"I think that those two are destined for greatness."

"And from what I heard so are you, Bill"

"What did you hear Tifa? What did they say about me?"

"Nothing, Jessie just hinted that your name pops up a lot in text books. Anyway, it is kind of obvious. If only you could have seen the way you and Cloud were going at that reactor. It was spectacular."

"You know Bill for as weak as you were you managed to pull that attack off pretty well. How'd you do it?" Cloud asked not really expecting an answer.

"It was weird. It felt like someone was carrying me up there. It was like I was weightless and flying. I don't know, maybe it was my guardian angel. Who knows?"

Later…

So it was that Rufus thanked everyone who helped with the… cleanup with a fairly large sack of gil after they had all exited the building safely. Bill was more than certain, though; that money would definitely not compensate for all his trouble but kept his mouth shut just the same. Secretly that rat bastard Shinra, knew the whole time that the time machine unstable and there was always the off-chance that it would blow. Still, everyone made it out alive. Bill and Vincent decided to stay in Midgar for a week or two before heading back out again to search for Deep Ground's headquarters. Tifa insisted they stay in their house instead of a hotel. It would be the first time in a long time that Bill would get a decent night's sleep.

Chapter 4

Highwinds of Fortune

It was approximately 2:00 A.M. when something caused Bill to awaken. He didn't sit up and didn't open his eyes but was still able to identify the disturbance.

"Marlene, isn't a little early to be awake?" he asked from the floor where he lay. A very young girl who had crept past him stood stalk still for a second then asked

"How did you know I was up? I didn't make a sound!"

"Well, no one can sneak up on me, I'm un-ambushable. It's a proven fact." Bill smiled as he spoke.

"That's no fair. What, do they have you guarding the kitchen or something?" Marlene asked

"Nope, there aren't any extra bedrooms and Vincent took the couch so I just crashed here on the floor."

"That doesn't look to be very comfortable to me." Marlene said

"Kid, compared to what I been sleepin' on, in, and next to this is a friggin luxury." Bill sat up and yawned. He scratched his head a couple of times then looked to Marlene "So why you up kiddo?"

"I wanted a drink of water so I came down here but you surprised me." Marlene explained

Bill followed Marlene into the kitchen and helped her get her water. She sat down at the kitchen table and Bill did likewise. Bill watched her sip her water and began to question her.

"So do you have parents?"

"Yeah, my daddy's name is Barret, he's real nice."

"Barret?" Bill asked "Barret Wallace?"

"Yeah, that's my last name too. I live here with Cloud and Tifa cuz daddy is busy with work sometimes. We always have lots of fun together we he's not working. What about you mister? Do you have a mommy or daddy?" Bill was cut to the quick by Marlene's question.

"I uhhh…. I was taken away from my parents when I was younger than you."

"Ohh, how sad! Who took care of you then? Did you go to an orphanage?" Asked Marlene. Bill began to rummage through his coat pockets.

"No," he started as he continued his search "I didn't go to an orphanage but I met some friends who took care of me…" Bill finally found what he was searching for in an inside pocket of his coat and laid it in front of Marlene. It was an old photo, but it was in near perfect condition, af treasured memento from Bill's days in SOLDIER.

"Who is this?" Marlene said pointing to a man on the left side of the picture. He had dark, spiky, hair and was winking and giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

"That's Zack, he was pretty cool. He knew Aeris y'know." Bill said.

"He knew sister? Wow… who's this?" This time Marlene pointed to a young boy in the middle of the frame. He had a big smile on his face.

"You mean you don't recognize him? That's me. I was very young though."

"I know who that is!" Marlene pointed to a young man with blonde, spiky, hair, and a surly look on his face. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest on the far right side of the picture. "That's Cloud!" Marlene continued. Very suddenly the look on her face turned from one of excitement to one of sadness. "And that's the bad man who tried to hurt Cloud!" Marlene was looking at the last figure in the photograph. He was standing behind and slightly to the left of Bill with his right hand on Bill's left shoulder. His countenance held a subtle smile. He wore clothes of black that contrasted with his stark, silver, hair. Bill's eyes went misty very suddenly.

"He wasn't a bad man when I knew him. He was my best friend in the entire world, one of my only friends. I had aspirations of making all of my friends proud of me one day but now of the four people in this picture only two of us are alive today, were in this very house." Bill tucked the picture back into his coat pocket. "Well, you'd better hurry up and get back to bed, it's very late."

Once Marlene was done Bill escorted her back upstairs and watched as she walked back to her room. Once she was gone Bill turned back and went back downstairs.

"Did I once have such innocence? Or when they stole my childhood did they take that too? Will I ever be able to repent for the sins I have committed? For my sake I hope that by the time I hang my sword up I will have, then and only then can I hope to re-attain my innocence."

Bill remained awake and awaited his friends; he didn't want to leave without a good-bye. Bill had decided while he was alone in the silence that he should not drag his friend's into this, he'd lost too many as it was. He had to do this alone or not at all. He felt he owed it to them. Once everyone was awake, they assembled in the kitchen and were met by a surprise breakfast of slightly runny eggs with grated cheese melted over them.

"Sorry, I'm not the best cook," Bill said.

"Bill, what is all this (yawn) about?" Cloud asked

"I'm leaving and wanted to make sure that your last memory of me was a fond one."

"You can't Bill, not alone. Sure, you may fight with great finesse and the strength and ferocity of 100,000 men but you're kind of reckless. If you go, we all go!" Tifa protested.

"Are you sure?" Bill asked

"Of course," said Vincent "but may I suggest a slightly more expedient mode of transportation than your motorbike,"

"What did you have in mind?" Bill asked

"Let's head down to the port, you'll see when we get there." Said Vincent

"Ahhh yes, a friend of ours is in town Bill. I think he'll be able to help you. You know how to get to the port right?" Cloud questioned.

"Of course I do, let's go!"

It took only seconds for the group to make their way to the twin cycles. Of the two, Bill's was more dinged and scratched. Vincent looked it over warily and without taking his eyes off of it asked

"Cloud, would mind if I rode with you this time?"

"Of course not Vincent. Why?" asked Cloud

"because I want to survive."

Cloud and Vincent were first to leave. Bill simply stood next to his bike counting seconds. After he counted forty he looked to Tifa.

"Let's go!" Immediately the two climbed onto the bike. Bill inhaled sharply as Tifa wrapped her arms around Bill.

"What!" she asked bewildered

"I can't really breathe, you're holding on too tight.

"Oh, well I was just preparing for the worst." She relaxed her grip a little. In almost the same second the bike shot off down the road. It took only ten seconds to catch up to the other bike. They were going at a breakneck pace, Bill lost concentration for an instant and neglected a turn by accident.

"You missed a turn!" Tifa shouted over the rushing wind.

"I know," replied Bill "Hold on tight!

Bill threw all his weight backwards, causing the bike to go into a wheelie. Bill then commenced to turn the bike 180 degrees all the while maintaining and insane speed of upwards of 90 miles an hour. The whole process of turning the bike around took a fraction of a second and soon Bill was back on track. In a short time the port loomed up ahead of them. Bill slowed to a stop outside of the main terminal. Several airships were docked on raised landing pads in various places. This port was huge and filled with the whoosh of rotors. Bill didn't even notice Cloud pull in until he tapped his shoulder.

"Landing pad 9" Cloud said. Bill nodded in reply.

Vincent looked to Tifa and with a sly grin asked "How was it?"

"It was fun!" Tifa replied with a smile. Vincent's jaw dropped

It didn't take long to find landing pad 9. Docked on it was a fairly large airship. Scrambling around the outside was a wily looking man. He had wild, blonde, hair and wore a pair of flight goggles on his forehead. In his mouth he held the stump of a cigarette that had burned down to the filter. He held a wrench and muttered to himself as he tinkered with his precious airship.

"Hey Cid!" Cloud called up to the man. The man popped his head up to see who had called. He instantly recognized who it was and scrambled down to greet his visitors.

"Ahh Cloud, good t'see ya, good t'see ya!" he greeted Cloud with a gruff voice as he wiped his oil covered hands on his blue shirt. "I see you brought Tifa and Vincent with ya." He took Tifa's hand and kissed it and gave Vincent a friendly nod. He then looked to Bill. "And this strapping young lad would be?"

"My name is Bill sir."

Cid took Bill's hand in a hardy handshake "No need for the sir, the name's Cid Highwind, the greatest pilot in these parts.."

"I know we've met before. Right before you guys beat Sephi…"

"Eh what was that? Oh yeah I remember now! Nice seein ya again, you've really grown. Now why don't you all enter my noble airship and we'll have some tea and catch up. Cid herded them onto the airship and to his cabin. It was nicely furnished and had a round table with six chairs around it in the center. Each person took a seat and Cid went to go get the tea. Upon his return he poured everyone a small cup and set the kettle in the middle of the table. Bill looked at the liquid with disdain, tea wasn't his thing.

"Mr. Highwind, Cid I was wondering…" Bill was cut off by a menacing look from Cid

"SHUT UP AND DRINK YOUR GODDAMN TEA!" Cid then erupted with a string of profanities the likes of which the world had never known. Now Bill had been attacked by all manner of weapons but he'd never had to deal with so much reproach and revile . There was nothing in Bill's arsenal that could eclipse the power of Cid's words. When Cid's tirade was over Bill gulped the tea down in one swallow, he didn't want to take any chances. He waited until everyone was finished before he spoke up again.

"Cid I was wondering if you were by any chance going to pass over Cosmo Canyon?"

"I go wherever the winds blow m'boy, but I'm pretty sure I might blow through there, why?"

"I was wondering if you could ferry me…"

"US!" Tifa spoke up.

"Fine, I was wondering if you could ferry US to Cosmo Canyon."

"Sounds reasonable cept there's no place to land that ain't a good hike from there." Cid replied

"You got a holding bay?" Bill asked.

"Of course!"

"Well then I'll just load my bike in there. With my bike and a little ingenuity I can do anything. Just fly over Cosmo Canyon and I'll just drive my bike out of the cargo hold. I'll take care of the rest."

"You got a chute?"

"Who needs one?" Bill asked with a smile

Cid broke into uncontrolled laughter "I like this kid's style. He's got spirit. It's settled. We leave in an hour. You load whatever you need into the hold while I prep the ship. One hour!"

It had been an hour and thirty minutes since the last preparations had been made for the trip. All cargo had been safely deposited in the cargo hold. All parties involved had gathered on the bridge of Cid's airship. Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent stood at the front of the bridge looking down through the glass floor at the miniscule town below. This would be the site of Bill's landing. Bill stood towards the back of the bridge looking straight up at the ceiling so that he could not see out any viewport. He'd been through many battles and found many hardships tolerable and had endured much savagery of the human heart but Bill was desperately afraid of heights. Cid looked back from the helm and with a hearty laugh asked: "What's the matter boyo? Ya look a little green in the gills!"

"Yeah well heights really aren't my thing. Luckily I love free fall. I think I should make ready for the drop now."

"Well on behalf of all present, good luck."

With that Bill made his way to the cargo hold. Once there he double checked all of his gear, didn't want it to come loose during the drop. The hold was suddenly filled with a great pneumatic hiss as the cargo bay door lowered to the open position. Bill climbed onto his bike and steadied his shaky hands. He loved danger and the rush it presented, but, deep down in the darkest recesses of his heart he was always afraid when he had to take a chance like this. Sure, he could regenerate any wound but he wasn't a god. If something went wrong he would probably die. He closed his eyes and thought back to his childhood. A memory of his first day of firearms training began to play in his head.

"I'm afraid, what if I don't do it right and hurt someone! I don't wanna do this!" A very young Bill protested. The thought of someone dieing by his hand almost brought him to tears. The instructor, who was a Major, began to turn deeper shades of red, he was about to explode. He had dealt with stubborn men who simply would not follow an order but never had anyone frustrated him more than this kid he was assigned to. He was always too afraid to do anything and if you raised your voice at him he would cry.

"You worthless brat!" the Major shouted "You will never amount to anything! If they let you out into the field of battle you're gonna die cuz you're too afraid to shoot a gun at someone and if they die you cry. What do you think an army is for! We kill people, that's our job! That is supposedly your only function; it's what you were designed to do but your just a defective little piece of shit!" the major dealt Bill a hard backhand that sent him sprawling. He lay there, an unmoving lump until his sobs caused him to shudder violently.

"Major!" a voice cryed out across the room. Someone rushed to Bill's side. "Do you know that you just hit a superior officer?"

"Superior?" the Major said in a tone of disdain "Maybe higher ranking but definitely not superior."

"I think I'll take it from here, you'd better leave."

No sooner had the major turned towards the door that Bill sprang at him. He swung his tiny clenched fist once and knocked the major down. Bill then knelt on the man's arms and began punching the major's face. He had a crazed look in his eyes and was laughing. Very suddenly he stopped. He looked down at the major's bloody face then at his own clenched fists. He leaped away from the major like he was a dead rat. He just stood there staring at his hands. Had he just killed the Major? He had always wanted to get back at him for all the times he had been yelled at but this time something just snapped. Bill's worst fears were realized when the major stood up shakily, swore profusely at him, then ran out of the room. The Major would not forget this and would probably be twice as mean towards him. Bill began to shudder again. He buried his face in his hands. He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. Bill turned and hugged the person tightly. He could tell who it was without even seeing him. He could tell by the material of the man's clothes. It was a smooth material, like leather but at the same time not. Bill new that if he were to open his eyes he would see that the material was black. He decided to look up, his gaze met that of a young man who's hair was long and silver. Sephiroth looked back down at Bill and watched as the gash on Bill's forehead disappeared, as if by magic. This was the first time anyone had embraced him.

"Bill, why did you assault the major?" Sephiroth asked sternly

"I… I… I wanted revenge, for all the times he's hurt me. I didn't want to kill him or hurt him badly just… something snapped and when I came to I was on top of him and his face was bloody."

"Well, now that it's out of your system will it happen again?"

"No sir!" Bill replied

"Good, let's get back to your training." Sephiroth said as he ushered Bill towards the stand where a small caliber rifle lay. A target was set up a short distance down range.

"Now what exactly is the problem?" Sephiroth asked.

"I don't want to shoot it," Bill said eyeing the rifle warily. "Guns kill people. I'm afraid that if I shoot it I might mess up and get someone hurt."

"Bill, sometimes you'll have to do things against your will. You won't always have the choice of saying no and accepting the consequences. You have to swallow your fear and dispel it or it will control you. You must never let fear control you or you will fall into a world of despair."

Sephiroth's words were still clear in Bill's head and he had taken them to heart. Bill was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Cid's voice over the PA.

"Havin second thoughts?"

Bill looked around somewhat startled. He then readied himself one last time and when he was sure he was ready he lifted his foot off the ground. The bike rolled slowly down the slanted hatch door and before he knew it he was falling. He desperately wanted to let go and just fall. He had done this as a child during his days as a SOLDIER. They had stuffed him into a helicopter and taken him up. They strapped a parachute to him and told him when to open the parachute. Then they opened the helicopters doors and the Major threw him out with a sly grin, he knew that Bill was afraid of heights. However, as Bill fell toward earth he began to like the feel of free fall; it was like he was flying. Now he longed to just let go of his bike and feel that flying sensation again but he knew that he would almost surely die from the impact of his landing without his bike. Bill struggled to keep the bike from flipping and tumbling as he fell.

He had already planned this all out. As they were flying to this destination Bill had looked at a topographical map of the area in which he would land and found a valley where one side slanted at a mild incline. Bill thought that if he lined the bike up with the angle of the incline he could just ride down into the valley. This was a good plan in theory but now as he was rapidly approaching the landing zone he wasn't sure. He realized that in order for the bike to just roll down the slope on its tires he would have to be moving down and forward. On his current course he was just moving down and if he tried to move forward he would land at the bottom of the valley and probably die. He found his hypothesis to be correct when he landed hard on the sloped side of the valley. He was thrown off his bike and rolled all the way to the bottom of the valley. His bike slid to a stop next to himself. Bill got up, dusted himself off and then checked to make sure he still had all of his parts. He then checked his bike to make sure it had not sustained any major damage.

"You know, maybe I should have just hiked a mile into the village like everyone else." Bill said to himself as he climbed onto his bike. His ride to the village was extremely short like he had planned. The village was small and nestled safely in the red, stone walls of Cosmo Canyon. Bill could feel an aura of tranquility in the air. If ever his duties came to an end he would like to settle down here. He quickly set to work asking the villagers if they had seen Nanaki around. Nanaki, or Red XIII as he was also known, Belonged to a race of dog-like creatures that had the ability to speak the language of humans and had extremely long lives. Nanaki was thought to be the last of his race and had proved to be invaluable in the fight against Sephiroth. Bill had met him only a couple of times but he could definitely say he had made a friend of him. He now searched for Nanaki to see if he knew anything about the whereabouts of Deep Ground however it seemed that no one knew exactly where Nanaki had gone. All anyone knew was that from time to time he would take off into the Canyon and disappear for a few days. Bill decided he would wait until he came back.

He had been waiting for some time when he heard someone whistle. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw that his friends had arrived in the village. They made their way to him.

"What took you?" Bill asked with a smile.

"Will you take a look at yourself, you're covered in dust!" Tifa said trying to conceal her laughter but failed miserably.

Bill looked himself over and found that he was covered in dust and no matter how much he brushed or patted it would not come off his clothes. Bill shrugged.

"Well nothing can be done about it. I'll just have to wash up later. Anyway, no one here has even heard of Deep Ground and no one knows where Nanaki is either. I just figured I'd wait here for him but it's almost dark and he hasn't returned."

"I guess all we can do now is wait," Cloud said

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking. Who's taking care of Marlene and Denzel right now? I think that at least one of you guys should go back soon. It's like Cloud said before this is Vincent's problem and I butted in. I didn't ask you guys all to come but you did on your own accord. I'm just worried about getting you guys involved in something and leaving those kids all alone. Tifa you have a bar to run and Cloud has his delivery service, you guys have a lot of prior commitments. You shouldn't just drop everything to help an old friend."

"Bill, your right, we do have a lot of prior commitments but we can afford to help you for a little while. Right now we have a friend taking care of the kids so we don't have to worry for a little while." Tifa explained.

"Who?" Bill asked a little worried. Bill knew that Tifa didn't have a whole lot of other friends and he was worried that the friend in question might be…

"Yuffie" Tifa replied

"They're doomed!" Bill said sarcastically

"Bill be nice, we can trust her with the kids then again…" Tifa trailed off into thought.

Yuffie had been another person who had helped Cloud defeat Sephiroth. She hailed from a distant town known as Wutai. She was young, stubborn, wily, and on top of all that a ninja in training. She was only slightly older than Bill was. Bill didn't think she'd be able to handle the two young children for very long.

Night fell and still Nanaki had not returned. Bill had noticed however, a small light bobbing in distant parts of the canyon. Steadily the light drew closer until its source was visible. The light was cast by a flame at the end of the tail of a dog-like creature. It's fur was a deep red and it bore a tattoo of the roman numeral XIII in one of it's shoulders.

"Ahh friends" it started, as it came within earshot, "what brings you to my humble part of the world?"

"Well, Nanaki, it's a long story…" Bill spent a good hour reporting all of the events that had transpired thus far in excruciating detail, often, talking in circles. Nanaki was sad to report that he had heard nothing of the mercenary group Deep Ground however he had sensed a disturbance in the worlds balance. Something was once again attacking the Lifestream.

"This disturbance that I have felt is earily similar to the one that Sephiroth caused yet they are very different. We may have to band together to save the world once again." Nanaki reported.

Bill tensed at this information, finally a chance to make a difference. He now had a chance to prove himself, he had a chance to possibly save the world. Was this that missing piece in his life he'd been searching for: a purpose? Would this finally be his chance to repent for the many sins he'd accumulated as a mercenary? Bill had to know. In the coming months he would redouble his efforts in the investigation with a vigor fueled by hope. Tifa and Cloud decided to return home after a short time and Bill and Vincent decided mutually that if the duo split up they could cover more ground. Slowly the days became weeks and the weeks became months.

Chapter 5

Of Climactic Conclusions and New Beginnings.

It was a peaceful day in Midgar. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and everyone in the city was happy; well almost everyone. A dusty, tired, bedraggled, Bill slowly limped into town. All of Bill's investigative efforts had payed off. He had found Deep Grounds headquarters, indeed he did. He had fought a good battle but it ended the same way his battle with Azul had ended. Practically before he had unsheathed his sword the whole base's personnel got chopper evac. No damage, no casualties, except Bill's bike. After the mercenaries made their getaway they had their base self-destruct. Bill managed to make it out alive but he now carried his bike, or rather what was left of it, in a canvas sack. His clothes were dusty and he was exhausted. His remaining possessions were a sack of bike parts, his green jacket, his once black pants that were now plastered with dust, his black muscle shirt, his cell phone, and of course his swords. Though he was exhausted and very disappointed from his recent mishap he decided that he had to keep looking for Deep Ground's new head quarters. Bill began to think aloud.

"I'm fairly certain that someone told me once that this plan would blow up in my face. I never figured it would be literal." Bill gave an audible sigh before leaning on the wall of a building. "I really need to take a day off and get some rest, maybe I'll just sleep the day away…right (yawn)… here." Bill hung his head and closed his eyes and began to doze. He didn't get much rest because in almost the same instant a steady beeping began to emit from his right pants pocket. Bill jammed a hand into his pocket and procured the phone which he answered in a frustrated and somewhat tired tone.

"Yeah, who is it!" Bill's tone was evident that he was not in a good mood. A female voice on the other end responded in a surprised tone.

"Oh Bill, is this a bad time?"

"I guess not, I don't have anything better to do right now," Bill was still not amused and rather annoyed now.

"Good. Um, well this is Yuffie. Right now I'm in Cosmo Canyon and Red XIII wanted me to tell you that the disturbance he felt awhile ago has been growing for a few months and seems to be at it's peak."

"I know. I can feel it now. The Earth is in pain and I can feel it reaching out to me, I have been feeling it's agony for some time now. Somehow I don't think that this is connected to the mercenary group Deep Ground." Bill said. He was no longer annoyed but now a little concerned.

"So should we call off the search?" Yuffie asked

"We? As far as I knew the only people investigating Deep Ground were Vincent and I," Bill said.

"Not so, Red XIII and I have been searching pretty hard. Cid's been patrolling the skies almost constantly and Barret's been looking too."

"Tell everyone thanks for me Yuffie, I'll do my best on my end. I'll talk to you later, I've gotta go." With that Bill hung up his phone and returned it to his pocket. He felt a wave of energy wash over him, he no longer needed rest. Yet again Bill felt that strange throb, the world was again sending it's pleas to Bill. He closed his eyes and tried to find the epicenter of the disturbance that was torturing the Earth.

"Im…impossible," Bill was shaken "the center of the disturbance is here, in Midgar!"

Bill opened his eyes and clenched a fist, he had a good idea as to who was behind this but he had to take care of some things. His first task was to take his sack o' motorcycle to the nearest automotive repair shop and see if they could even rebuild it which he did. He asked the mechanic if he could rebuild a motorcycle and the mechanic came back with the reply that he could rebuild a motorcycle from scratch. Bill just smiled and dumped the bike parts on the floor of the garage where repairs were made to vehicles. He also left the mechanic with all of his money. That changed the mechanic's look of dismay to one of glee and as Bill left he said that it would take a month or two but when he was done it would be like brand new. This exclamation fell on deaf ears. Bill was preoccupied with a new task. He made his way through Midgar, rage was slowly building in him as he got closer to his destination. Bill's anger finally peaked when the Shinra building came into view. He burst through its glass doors and roared "Nobody move and inch! I'm looking for Rufus Shinra. If anyone tries to stop me they'll have hell to pay!"

Bill saw the frightened look of the workers wearing gray uniforms bearing the red Shinra logo. He made his way to the executive office of the building and there he found Rufus bent over his desk looking through several loose papers. He looked up at his unexpected visitor then went back to what he was doing. "What a pleasant surprise Bill," he stacked the leaflets neatly on the corner of his desk. "To what do I owe…this…visit..?" As Rufus looked up at Bill again he found the point of the Masamune millimeters from his face.

"Can it Shinra! I know what you've been doing! You've been experimenting with Mako energy again! You are just like your father; It doesn't matter if it destroys the world you'll keep at it if it makes you rich." Bill was infuriated and ready to strike the final blow at any time. Rufus pushed the blade out of his face with the back of his hand and frowned.

"I can tell you most assuredly that neither I, nor any of my employees, have had anything to do with the harvest and use of Mako energy. I will be the first to tell you about the harmful impact that has on the world. I have been far to busy with paperwork to do anything as nefarious as that. I would truly be a foolish man to exhibit any behavior that might warrant your anger. Now come, I will escort you out of this building. A mild error has been made here this day that is best forgotten." Rufus then ushered Bill out of his office and towards the front door of the building all the way explaining to Bill what dreary work it had been doing all of that paperwork. For the first time Bill had noticed that Rufus's office was on the first floor when his father's had been on the highest. His guess was that if they had to get him out of the building quickly it would be easier than having to wheel him to a slow moving elevator. Bill couldn't imagine what life would be like being bound to a wheelchair like that. It was saddening to think that this was the price he had to pay for his father's sins. As the two exited the building into the sunlit courtyard they were both surprised to see the form of a woman standing before them. She was wearing a long, black, coat that swirled behind her as she turned. Her face was beginning to show the effects of age and her long blond hair was beginning to gray. She wore a wicked smile on her face.

"Rufus Shinra, the last of the Shinra bloodline and holder of the family business. For your sake let's hope you've written up a will!" the woman said with a grim laugh.

"Scarlet, I thought you were away studying an alternative form of energy! You shouldn't be back for another several months." Rufus said in a calm tone.

"Yes, you are correct. I was researching an alternative energy source but you know what, THERE ISN'T ONE! I wasted months of my life and expertise on a wild goose chase. Nothing on this planet can sustain a city's power requirements nearly as long as Mako. Your father was wrong to leave the company to you! It should have been mine! You've ruined the company's reputation and driven it nearly bankrupt. The people and this company desperately need Mako to survive."

"Scarlet, I cannot undo the decisions my father made but no this: harvesting Mako can destroy this planet. In my opinion I'd rather see a day on this earth without this company than a day without a planet!" Rufus allowed anger into his tone, he was beginning to lose his cool.

"It's been you!" Bill said "You've disturbed the Earth's balance! What have you been doing?" Bill readied the Masamune as he spoke.

"If you think that you can stop me from taking this company then you can die with Shinra." As Scarlet finished several in men in blue uniforms stepped into view each carrying a high-powered rifle used for sniping.

"If you don't mind I'm going to excuse myself to freshen up for my debut as president of the Shinra Company!" and as she turned away she said "Kill them!"

Immediately all of the riflemen fired on Rufus. Bill saw the shots like they were in slow motion and without thinking about it he threw himself into the line of fire. Each bullet's impact caused a spray of blood where they hit. Bill saw this also as he slumped to the ground. He lie there on his back gasping, blood pooling all around him. He felt the wounds close as his body repaired itself, pushing the bullets out before sealing entirely. Bill panicked when he heard only three bullets hit the pavement. There were at least seven riflemen. He rose to his knees and found Rufus lying in a pool of blood next to his wheelchair; four holes were in the backrest. Bill could here the riflemen reloading their rifles; cocky bastards thought that they'd need only one round apiece.

"Bill," Rufus croaked "Just so you know you took every round, four of them plowed right through you. I'm not dead yet but unless you hurry up and take care of them it will all have been in vain." Rufus coughed up some blood.

Bill knew that what was said was true, Rufus was lung-shot and unless Bill acted quickly he would die very soon. He knew that Rufus had the best doctors money could buy but time would be against them. Bill turned to face the riflemen who now had their rifles leveled on his heart. He waited until just the right minute and then threw the Masamune into the air and drew the Buster Sword. He quickly shielded himself with the large sword and saw that luck was with him; deflected bullets had hit one rifleman in the leg and another in the hand, both sank to the ground clutching their hurt appendages tightly. This whole chain of events caused pandemonium amongst the riflemen and Bill took advantage of it. He caught the Masamune in his left hand and leapt at the group of gunners. He dealt one of them a mighty kick to the gut. He caught another in the head with the butt-ends of his sword's hilts. The remaining three riflemen scattered for cover leaving there wounded comrades to fend for themselves. Bill noticed one of the riflemen duck behind a tree. Bill crept up to the tree and attacked it with a mighty vertical slash from the Buster Sword followed by a horizontal one from the Masamune. The tree crashed down in pieces around the rifleman who looked around in a panic. He turned to face Bill and was now shaking so bad that he dropped his rifle which misfired causing him to stiffen then faint. Bill heard a scream to his left and witnessed a rifleman hit the ground clutching his side; he had taken the misfired shot. Some bushes rustled to Bill's right and he turned to see the last rifleman spring from them and point his gun at him. Bill began to walk slowly towards the rifleman who retaliated by pressing his rifle to his shoulder and sighting through the scope but when the trigger was pulled the gun made an odd metallic clink; a round had jammed in the chamber. The rifleman looked down and fiddled with the bolt of his gun. When he finally had it un-jammed he looked back up only to get a good view of the Masamune's point. Bill raised the sword above his head and the riflemen flinched and awaited the final blow. When nothing happened he opened one eye and eyed the scene warily. Before he blacked out he had just enough time to se the flat of the Buster Sword's blade impact with his head. Bill watched the man collapse.

"Shoulda been watchin my right hand!" he said while he sheathed the Buster Sword.

"Very good, you've eliminated the threat without a single casuality," Rufus' voice was very weak "Why exactly did you try to save me?"

"Shut up Shinra!" Bill said "I didn't intend to do it, I just sorta did. Now save your strength you have to at least make it until I can get you to a hospital, then you won't be my problem and your death won't be on my hands."

"There won't be any need for you to do that." a deep voice said from across the courtyard.

This new voice belonged to a tall man who was quite wide in the shoulders. He wore a black suit with a tie, black sunglasses, and wore black leather gloves. His head was shaved and he adjusted his tie as he approached Bill.

"Ah, Rude of the Turks. Man, I'm glad you're here. I had to do your guys' jobs. Why weren't you here?

"We were enjoying a day off when the boss called us in. My associates and I will take things from here, you should head after Scarlet. She was last seen leaving Midgar on foot."

"Thanks for the tip. By the way, do you think I could ask you a favor?"

Tifa was busy wiping glasses in her bar, The Seventh Heaven, when she got a call. She picked up the receiver and answered.

"Strife delivery services, how may I help you?"

"Hey Tifa, its Reno." The voice was that of a young man who was one of the Turks. Whereas Rude had been neat, orderly, and professional Reno was not. His mess of Shaggy red hair and the way he took care of his uniform proved it. Reno was always laid back even in this tense situation. "An assassination attempt was made on Rufus earlier. Thought you might wanna know cuz it was that friend of yours Bill, that saved him. Also Bill asked us to tell you to gather up the "old gang" and meet him in the desert outside Midgar, said he might need backup."

"Thanks Reno, I'll do that." With that she hung up and turned the open sign in the window to closed before she went up stairs to get Cloud.

Cloud and Tifa made the trek into the desert by foot. It wasn't long before they saw Bill a short way into the distance standing there like a sentinel watching over some lost treasure. He watched the horizon and as he did his gaze missed nothing. He heard his friends make their approach and he turned to face them. Bill became slightly disappointed at what he saw.

"I thought I left them with a message for you to get everyone Tifa, so where is everyone?"

"Well, I tried to contact everyone but I could only reach Vincent and he said he'd be here as soon as he could." Tifa explained.

"Where was he when you talked?"

"I don't know. He didn't say and I didn't think to ask. What is it that's so important that we all need to be here?"

Bill let out a heavy sigh before explaining "The fate of the world hangs in the balance. A woman named Scarlet has been harvesting Mako. That was the disturbance that Nanaki told us about a few months ago. Lately I've been able to sense it, the Earth is suffering because of this woman's meddling. If she's been experimenting with Mako then that means that… aagh!" the throbbing sensation pulsed in Bill's head and prevented him from continuing. After a short time it subsided. "I'm fine; don't worry about me, we have to act now or the world may be destroyed. I hate to say this but we can't afford to wait for Vincent even though he'd be invaluable in a situation like this."

"Don't worry Bill, we have a knack for saving the world. Anyway were only up against one person, I think the odds are in our favor. Lead us into battle and we will fight." Cloud said with a serious undertone.

"Good, whatever it is that's creating the disturbance is not too far off to the west of here. I think if we walk west for ten minutes at a decent rate we'll be right on top of it." With that said the small group set out in a westward direction. About five minutes into their trek they encountered Vincent heading the same direction just ahead of them. Bill was glad to have found him. No one was really sure what may lie ahead of them or if the danger they may face was really all that severe but Bill knew that whatever they found at the center of the disturbance of the Earth's aura would be inherently bad.

It had turned out that Bill's prediction was wrong. After ten minutes of he now stood on a spindly cliff overlooking a deep ravine. Bill knew that this had to be the place; it just had to be except that there was nothing here. He hung his head dejectedly and turned to his friends to admit his error when he heard a voice from across the chasm.

"I knew that you'd come!"

Bill whipped around to face the voice and saw that it belonged to Scarlet. His eyes narrowed to a glare of contempt.

"I knew that you would come because I helped to make you what you are boy!" she cried "If only you were told what your purpose was, then you would truly become powerful!"

Bill knew that she was trying to play with his head but his curiosity got the best of him. "I, I have a purpose…" Bills words were reluctant almost as if he was unsure that he wanted a purpose yet it had been something that he sought after his entire life.

"Yes, boy, you have a purpose. Do you think that the Shinra Corporation would have spent all that money to create something that had no purpose?" Scarlet's words seemed bitter "Your original purpose was basically to be a second test of the Sephiroth experiment. However, Hojo didn't think that was a very good idea and so he threw my plans out the window. If I had had my way then you would have had abilities that would match Sephiroth's by the time you were ten but Hojo didn't want another being around that was anywhere near as powerful as his 'son' so he took over the experiment and ended up killing off twenty-nine of the subjects. My experiment was designed to be carried out exactly as I had planned. Even a minor change would prove fatal to the subject. We began the tests on the last specimen and I urged Hojo to administer the Sephiroth element or else this test would fail as well. He was a stubborn old fool, if I hadn't administered the Sephiroth element myself when Hojo wasn't watching you would have died too."

"Hojo… I know about his experiments. I know about what he did to make Sephiroth as strong as he was. I also know about the Sephiroth element, it's a culture composed of cells of an ancient creature code-named Jenova." Bill said grimly

"We've done our homework I see. When Sephiroth learned of his true purpose he felt used and he went insane thus his power began to run unchecked and he summoned a meteor that nearly destroyed Earth. The reason that it all happened is because Hojo hid the truth from his creations. Then again you are my creation, my… child as it was, born from a womb of technology and experiments. Your true purpose is to decimate entire countries in the event of war. You were intended to kill hundreds of people at a time and enjoy it. You hide it but deep down there is something feral. You are afraid of it because at times it takes control of you and at those times you feel a lust to kill. You would commit murder just for the fun of it. This was evident in your work as a mercenary. I've watched you lose control in battle… it's delightful."

"You're right, there is something inside me and it enjoys killing but that's not me, that's not my purpose! My sword may have been responsible for the deaths of many in the past but I have been trying to repent for those sins. I will have my innocence again when I relieve you of this world. I will be saving every life on this planet. I think that will more than cover my debt." Bill made to leap across the cavern if he had to to get at Scarlet but before he could make a move she held up a strange, dark gray orb. Bill froze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you! You know what this is don't you? It's materia. Mako energy that's been refined and crystallized granting the user incredible powers. This one happens to summon a beast called Ifrit but I've modified it quite a bit. Did you know that materia was used in the alteration of your body? Some was liquefied and introduced into your bloodstream and still more was grafted to your bones. Have you ever noticed that you can call forth ice, fire, and thunder from nowhere? I'm sure you have." Scarlet's words struck horror into Bill's heart. If she had created new materia how much had she created?

"Scarlet, do you even know what Mako is? It's energy from the Lifestream, the force that contains all life and keeps the world alive. I thought that the events that transpired four years ago would have taught everyone a lesson. I must have forgotten that some people are extremely ignorant and let greed rule there hearts. All of my life I have believed that I had no purpose and I have searched high and low for where I might fit into the grand scheme of things. It's become apparent to me now that even though your intent was to use me for evil I was born for a different purpose. Fate landed me on your lab table so that I could defeat people like you!"

"How petty, I grow bored of this. I really think that my new creation will serve it's purpose better than the old one." Scarlet held the material aloft "Ifrit come on out and show them what real power is all about and while your at it go ahead and kill your older brother!"

The materia emitted a black light and a giant crag opened up at the bottom of the ravine. It was filled with magma that began to bubble. A giant, clawed, hand reached out and grabbed hold of the side of the ravine. The creature pulled itself up out of the crater and at it's full height it's head was just below the cliff Bill now stood on. The crater it stood in must have been very deep because only it's torso was above the magma's surface. The creatures skin seemed to be made of large sections of black stone, a fiery glow could be seen coming from the cracks in it's stony skin. It's eyes appeared to be spouts of flame coming from it's eye sockets. The creature had two sets of great horns adorning it's immense head. The first set swept outwards and forward from the side of it's head like that of a bull. The second set grew upwards and curved backwards out of the top of it's head like a goat's. A large red crystal adorned it forehead and a plume of flame emanated from the back of it's head and extended almost all the way down it's back. With each breath the creature exhaled a black cloud of smoke and embers. If this truly was the beast Ifrit then Scarlet had altered it quite a lot from it's original form. Almost immediately Ifrit swung a mighty hand at the diminutive cliff where Bill stood. He barely had time to dodge the attack; the creature emitted so much heat that it made it hard for Bill to breathe.

"Bill, how do we defeat that?"

"I don't know Tifa, but it's vital spot is the crystal on it's forehead. That has to be where it gets all of its energy." Bill was panting heavily while he spoke and struggled to get his heavy jacket off. He laid his two swords atop his jacket. Even in just his muscle shirt and pants the heat was unbearable.

"Bill why is it you've laid down your weapons? Are you giving up?" Cloud's question was mostly to get Bill back into a fighting spirit.

"No Cloud, I've not given up yet. If I were to get close enough to destroy that crystal with a sword it would surely melt in my hand. Any shot from Vincent's gun would dissolve before reaching the target. As a matter of fact the heat from right here might cause his shots to fire unexpectedly."

"Your right," Vincent said as he threw all of his ammo at the creature. "Even before this immense heat can cause a round to go off the whole thing dissolves. If we can't attack from a distance and a direct attack is an impossibility what are we to do?" As Vincent finished a blast of fire shot forth from Ifrits mouth in an attempt to destroy it opponents however the stream fell quite short.

"Well at least for now were safe from it's attacks." said Bill. He continued. "A direct attack is not an impossibility. Not for me…"

"No, Bill. You'll be destroyed! Please, let's think of another way" Tifa pleaded solemnly.

"I wish there was another way but there isn't. My body should be able to keep regenerating long enough for me to get close enough to the crystal to destroy it."

"How exactly will you destroy it?" Vincent asked. All eyes turned to Bill.

"My physical strength is beyond what you can imagine. One blow should be all that's required to decimate that crystal. Saving this world is going to be the last thing I do on it, I can be at peace knowing that."

"Good luck my friend. Now go and make him proud, no make all of us proud. That's what Marlene said that you wanted most. She told me that you wanted to grow strong and make the three of us proud of you. I'll watch from here and I'm sure that Sephiroth and Zack are watching too." Cloud placed a hand on Bill's shoulder. Bill couldn't help but shed a tear.

"Yeah, I hope so, I guess this is goodbye then." He turned around to face certain doom. He called out to the creature, "Hey ugly! I'm gonna fight you all the way to hell if I have to so get ready!" he ran headlong and took a leap off the edge of the ravine. He began to fall towards Ifrits head however the heat that the creature was emitting was so great that it was actually slowing his descent. Bill could feel his body begin to fail. When he reached two and a half yards from the crystal his vision began to blur and then everything went black and terribly cold.

Bill awoke in a strange world of color and sound the likes of which he had never experienced before. He seemed to be floating yet at the same time he was standing…on nothing! He found that he could move easily in any direction but there was no up or down to this world.

"Where am I?" Bill wondered aloud. A voice answered from behind him.

"This is the place where life originates and, in due time, returns."

Bill turned around to look at the owner of the voice. It was Sephiroth himself. Bill was overjoyed.

"So this is the Lifestream? Incredible! My journey has finally come to an end! Oh there is so much I've wanted to tell you and so many things I'd like to know. Where you proud of me? Did you see…"

"Bill, I am afraid that it is not yet time for your life to rejoin the Lifestream."

"Then why I am here?" Bill asked

"To discover the true power that is inside you. Power that exists not because of experimentation but a power born of sheer will. It grew stronger as you remained true to yourself. You didn't let anyone influence your path in life rather, you did what you had to do and in making your own decisions you made a few mistakes but you have worked hard to correct them. There is something inside of you that has complicated your life, it is primal, evil."

"Jenova…" a new voice said from behind Bill. The voice was female and it's owner stepped out from behind Bill and stood next to Sephiroth. She wore a pink dress and a red jacket. Her brown hair was braided and she wore a big pink bow in it.

"Jenova's cells exist inside of you, trying to take over your consciousness but something combats them and as a result your abilities are imperfect." Sephiroth said

"Cells from both my mother and Jenova were introduced into your body in the hopes that you would have powers of both however they conflict and as a result your regenerative ability is flawed." The girl said.

"Jenova cells and your mother's cells? I've seen you before, we've met but I can't remember your name, wait a minute your name is Aeris! Your mother was a descendent of the Ancients!" Bill said excitedly

"Yep!"said Aeris "That's why we need to destroy the Jenova cells in your body so that the power my mother's cells have given you will work right." As Aeris spoke she cupped her hands and a ball of white energy formed. "Here, take it. Just know that if you do you will never be the same again."

"How so?" Bill asked warily

"You'll just have to find out now wontcha," Aeris said with a smile.

Bill reluctantly held his hand out and Aeris dropped the white orb of energy into his palm. It kind of bobbed up and down lazily in his palm. Bill stared into it's center and seemed to get lost within it. Suddenly the orb shot out of his palm and collided with his body. He was soon trapped in a field of white energy. He couldn't move but then again he didn't want to. The energy had a warmth to it that was very soothing. Very soon the energy field disappated.

"How do you feel?" Sephiroth asked.

"I feel great!" Bill responded. "I feel like an immense weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I feel far more powerful than I've ever felt!"

"That is good. Now when you are in heated combat you will no longer lose control of your actions but your true power will become evident and you will take a form deserving of such power." Sephiroth announced

"What will this form look like?" Bill questioned "Is the transformation permanent or is it just temporary?"

"The form you take will be what you believe true power looks like. You will remain in this state until whatever danger you are facing is gone. When and how you use this power is up to you. Just know that it is like nothing you have experienced before. Return now and protect those who are important to you. Use your power well." As Sephiroth finished everything began to fade to white and amidst the whiteness Bill heard Aeris say:

"Tell everyone back there that I said hi!"

Suddenly Bill reappeared in front of the beast once more. The heat was still unbearable. Bill watched an orb of blue energy flash around him then explode. The force sent him flying backwards away from the beast. He preformed a back-flip in midair before landing back on the side of the ravine where his group of friends stood. He continued to face the beast and did not turn towards his friends.

"Bill, how in the world did you do that and how in the world did you manage to survive?" Cloud asked.

"I didn't survive, I died temporarily. I met some old friends and they showed me what true power is. By the way, Aeris said to say hi." Bill's statement left everyone in shock. Bill concentrated all of his energy, he had to access his true power.

Cloud watched in awe as the air around Bill began to ripple then ignite into a torrent of blue energy. The whirling vortex of energy around Bill continued to increase. Bill could feel his muscles grow stronger, he could feel his senses sharpening, he felt like he was changing. Suddenly the energy around him hardened into a glass-like substance and then it shattered immediately. Bill turned to face his friends who wore shocked expressions upon there faces. Bill had certainly changed. His hair had changed from shaggy and brown to straight and silver and extended just past his shoulder blades. Lean muscle tensed under his skin and he seemed to emit a soothing aura. Cloud was the first to speak.

"Bill you look a lot like.."

"Sephiroth," Bill finished Cloud's sentence. "He told me that the form I take while using my true power is based on what I think true power looks like. It stands to reason that my true power would take a form similar to that of my role model, the person who I believe is the strongest in the world. So, it is only right that I use the Masamune in this fight." Bill's voice had remained the same but now he spoke in a confident and almost emotionless way. Cloud handed Bill the sword but asked:

"Won't it melt if you get too close to that thing?"

"You can't see it but I am surrounded by a field of energy that protects me and anything else that I so choose. At this time it encompasses you, Tifa, and Vincent as well because I will it to. Now, I have a world to save." When Bill finished his sentence something miraculous happened. A white, feathery, wing rose up off of his back. An evil incarnation of Sephiroth had once appeared in a similar manner however it's wing was black.

Now Bill slowly floated towards the beastly Ifrit.

"Scarlet, watch now as your evil plan comes crashing down around you!" Bill shot down to the creatures arm with godly speed. He grabbed Ifrits wrist and with all of his newfound strength tossed him high into the air. Scarlet was amazed, Ifrit now appeared as a tiny dot in the sky.

"What goes up must come down, Scarlet, and your pet won't stop falling until it reaches the very core of hell." As Bill spoke the creature began to decend. It tumbled through the air, it's arms and legs flailed helplessly as the creature tried to control its descent. Bill watched carefully and raised his right arm, pointing the sword straight up. He waited a few moments then shot through the air like a flash. One moment Ifrit was tumbling haplessly through the air and in the next it was still and unmoving. Bill's sword was up to it's hilt into the crystal. Bill spoke only one word:

"Mortem," and with that a white light surged up Bill's arm and through his sword. As it passed through Ifrit he turned to dust and drifted away on the winds. The crater Ifrit had risen from faded out of existence as did the materia in Scarlet's hand. She fell to her knees as she watched all of her hard work go to pot. In an instant Bill stood in front of her. He pressed the Masamune's point into her chest just below her neck, blood began to bead at the site of the wound.

"For the crimes you have committed this day I should drive this sword through you and do to you what I did to your monster. However, you are not worth an expenditure of energy that great. I pity you and so I will show you mercy though you are definitely not worth it." Bill dragged the sword point across her chest quickly. "You will now bear this mark your whole life, I have made it so. If ever you commit an atrocity like this ever again I will use that mark as a guide for my blade."

"You are going to regret not killing me now, boy!" Scarlet raged

Bill then glided back across the ravine and joined his friends there. In an instant he was back in his original form. He put his jacket back on and strapped the Buster Sword to his back. He shouldered the Masamune and then said: "Let's get outta here,"

The small group walked back to Midgar relieved that the crisis was over. Once they arrived at the gates however Sephiroth seemed to appear out of the ether. He spoke to the entire group.

"You may all enter the city however Bill may not. I must keep a promise that I made long ago. I will not stay him long."

It turned out to be three hours that Bill was gone. When he returned he was wearing clothes identical to Sephiroth's.

"Where you get that?" Cloud asked as Bill walked into the Seventh Heaven.

"He gave them to me as proof that I had fulfilled my promise to him and that he had fulfilled his promise to me. He tested my skill with a sword, he pushed me to the extreme edge of my abilities and was unrelentless. I've never been matched that closely before in battle. Every move I made he parried however he was unable to strike me either. I guess that he found my skill satisfactory because he said that he was unable to teach me anything about swordsmanship. Afterwards we spent a long time talking about my exploits over the years. It would seem that at times of great peril when I didn't have the strength to succeed on my own he would help me. I couldn't see him but he was there. It reminded me of the occasion in which we destroyed that time machine. I learned that true power isn't a matter of physical strength or prowess but a measure of the friendship you keep in your heart. As long as that isn't extinguished you hold the key to true power." There was a long pause. " I've decided that tomorrow I'm leaving." Bill said

"To search for Deep Ground?" Tifa asked

"Perhaps, but then again I may decide to help purify the world of all sources of darkness and evil. If my powers are ever needed again I'll be there in a heartbeat."

Bill left Midgar the next day and everything returned to normal. From that day forward whenever anyone was in trouble or just needed a reassuring word or two a young man wearing a black outfit who sported two odd swords would make an appearance and everything would be fine. A new age of peace had begun but how long could it last?

Note: This was my first story I ever wrote so don't flame. I will accept criticism that helps me with chapter 2. your can reach me at: 


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